For a number of years, carcinoma of the uterine cervix has been treated by applying radium or other radioactive material immediately adjacent to the uterine cervix for an extended duration of at least 24-48 hours, empirically determined by the attending radiologist. Prior art apparatus for such treatment comprises for the radioactively chargeable components a central tubular tandem vaginally insertable longitudinally into the uterine cervix and two ovoids longitudinally locatable at the cervix and laterally positioned between the cervix and the respective vaginal walls. Inasmuch as uterine cervix carcinoma typically spreads to both lateral sides of the cervix, the two longitudinally aligned ovoids are necessarily employed on opposite lateral sides of the cervix-entering central tandem.
Radiological practitioners have recognized that whenever radioactive treatment is employed for carcinoma of the uterine cervix, extreme care must be taken to minimize radiation of the transversely separated vasicovaginal and rectovaginal septa, said septa being longitudinally aligned and sagitally coplanar with the uterine cervix; otherwise, radiation might cause septa fistulae whereby urine and/or fecal matter will leak into the vagina. However, transverse directional restriction of the radioactively charged and laterally separated ovoids to an ideal location midway the transversely separated vulnerable septa during patient treatment has eluded the radiological arts. This problem has troubled the art primarily because the extra-vaginally protruding trailward parts of the laterally separated ovoids tend to spread the vaginal labia laterally and the reclining patient cannot avoid changing her reclining posture positions during the extended treatment period. Obviously, nearly every change in reclining posture by the patient involves thigh movement which disturbs the positions of the externally protruding and divergent ovoid assemblies of the prior art. Accordingly, the transverse location of the respective radioactively charged ovoids is apt to be shifted in one or the other transverse direction resulting in inimical radioactive exposure to the vasicovaginal and rectovaginal septa and in insufficient radioactive treatment to the cervical carcinoma.